Campaign Finance FAQs

Next Campaign Finance deadline is July 15, 2015

Disclosure Filing Deadline

Disclosures due from PACs, parties, and county representative, senate, and statewide candidates.

Campaign Finance

PLEASE NOTE: Use of our new online campaign finance fling system is now required for all candidates, PACs, and parties in the 2015-2016 election cycle. To find filed reports from the 2013-2014 cycle, please remember to check the online system as well as the pdf reports posted to this website in order to find all of the reports filed on a given deadline.

Campaign Finance Reporting Dates

Local Candidates and Public Question Advocacy

For local elections held this year (2015) on Tuesday, March 3 (Town Meeting Day), the filing dates for local candidates are:

February 2

February 23

March 17

April 13 (“Final Report” due, if not previously filed)

Candidates for local office who have raised or spent $500 or more must file campaign finance reports with the Office of the Secretary of State thirty days before, ten days before, and two weeks after the local election (a “final report” is due within 40 days of the election - see dates for this year above).

PACs and parties that have raised or spent more than $1,000 to influence a local election or support candidates in a local election must file campaign finance reports with the Office of the Secretary of State on these same dates.

Any formal or informal committee of two or more individuals or another organization (not a political party) which spends $1,000 or more for the purpose of advocating a position on a public question must file reports of its expenditures on these same dates.

Statewide, Legislative, and County Candidates Reporting Dates

The new campaign finance bill has been signed into law. Along with other changes, the new law contains a new reporting schedule. Under the new law, campaign finance reports for county, legislative and statewide candidates, PACs and parties are due on the following dates in 2015:

Contributions to Political Committees (PACs)

Contributions to Political Parties

$10,000 per election cycle from a single source or PAC

$60,000 from a political party

**PLEASE NOTE - the campaign finance law no longer conatins an exception to these limits for family members of a candidate. A candidate may still donate unlimited amounts to his or her own campaign, but contributions from family members must adhere to the limits described above. See 17 V.S.A. § 2947.

*All candidates who filed registrations for campaign finance reporting during the 2013–2014 election cycle. Candidates that registered in a previous cycle and have carried forward funds into the current cycle do not need to re-register but must continue to submit disclosure reports on all deadlines. Candidates are required to re-register if there has been any change in their bank account or treasurer information.

Reporting

All campaign finance disclosures for all entities must be filed through the online filing system, See 17 V.S.A. §2961(b). If you need to amend a previously filed paper report, please contact the Elections Division.